Safety heater for pressure dispensed product

ABSTRACT

An attachment for heating shaving cream or the like material being dispensed from an aerosol-type container having a depressible hollow valve stem through which the material is discharged includes a casing of heat and electrical insulation material having a base at its lower end provided with a downwardly open bore adapted to fit upon the valve stem. A flow passage having highly heat conductive walls extends from the bore to a lateral opening in the casing. A confined body of heat storage material, such as water, alcohol, powdered metal or the like, is sealed within the casing in surrounding relation to the flow passage. The body of heat storage material is heated by an electrical resistance heating element arranged within the casing in surrounding relation thereto. The heating element has such a short connection to the usual electrical wall outlet that normally the connection must be broken to enable the user to conveniently dispense heated material.

United States-Patent Costello Feb. 22, 1972 [54] SAFETY HEATER FORPRESSURE 3,266,674 8/1966 Martin .L..222/146 HA DISPENSED PRODUCT3,358,885 12/1967 Flowers.... ..222/146 HA 3,502,842 3/1970 Day..219/214 X [72] Inventor: Christopher llollet Costello, Summit, NJ.[73] Assignee: Colgate-Palmolive Company, New York, FOREIGN PATENTS ORAPPUCATIONS N.Y. 364,664 1/1932 Great Britain ..219/302 [22] filed: Sept1970 Primary Examiner-A. Bartis [21] App1.No.: 74,112 Attorney-Strauch,Nolan, Neale, Nies & Kurz Related U.S. Application Data 57 ABSTRACT [63]Continuation of 6865 9 1967' An attachment for heating shaving cream orthe like material being dispensed from an aerosol-type container havinga [52] US. Cl ..219/302, 219/214, 219/325, depressible houdw valve Stemthrough which the material is 222/146 239/135 discharged includes acasing of heat and electrical insulation [51] Int. Cl. ..H05b 1/00, B67d5/62 material having a base at its lower end provided with [58] Field ofSearch .....219/296-29 9, 301-309, downwardly open bore adapted to fitupon the able Stem. A 219/214 jgh j LZ flow passage having highly heatconductive walls extends from l the bore to a lateral opening in thecasing. A confined body of 56 R f Cted heat storage material, such aswater, alcohol, powdered metal 1 e erences l or the like, is sealedwithin the casing in surrounding relation UNITED STATES PATENTS to theflow passage. The body of heat storage material is heated by anelectrical resistance heating element arranged Mltchell the casing inurroundingrelation thereto The heating 1,110,919 9/ 1914 element hassuch a short connection to the usual electrical 2,590,442 3/ 1952 walloutlet that normally the connection must be broken to 3,069,528 12/1962enable the user to conveniently dispense heated material. 3,116,40312/1963 3,134,191 5/1964 7 Claims, 2 Drawing Figures PATENTEUFEBZZ m2INVENT OR CHRISTOPHER HOLLE' T COSTELLO BY www SAFETY HEATER FORPRESSURE DISPENSED PRODUCT This is a continuation of Ser. No. 686,576filed Nov. 29, 1967 for SAFETY HEATER FOR PRESSURE DISPENSED PRODUCT.and now abandoned.

BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF INVENTION The broad concept of heating shavingcream during dispensing is known. The available methods used are mainlyhot water from the nearest tap or electrical heating of the dispensingpassage. The invention deals with the latter, and it provides a safetyfeature which does away with the necessity of switches, fuses,thermostatic controls and like complex and/or expensive safety featureshitherto considered necessa ry for safe usage of these devices.

The major object of the invention is to provide a method and anattachment for heating shaving cream or the like being dispensed from anaerosol or like pressurized container wherein a dispensing passage issurrounded by a heat storage and transfer medium heated by an electricalresistance wire having such a short detachable connection to the usualelectrical wall outlet that normally the connection must be broken whilethe warmed shaving cream is being dispensed during shaving.

Further objects of the invention relate to details of structure forcarrying out the foregoing as will appear in the specification andclaims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a fragmentary view mainly insection showing the invention according to a preferred embodiment; and

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary view showing another embodiment.

PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A heater assembly 11 according to the invention isillustrated as mounted upon a conventional type aerosol container 12 fordispensing shaving cream to be warmed as it is dispensed.

The aerosol container 12 illustrated is preferably of the general typedisclosed in Abplanalp US. Pat. No. 2,631,814 having a top mounted valveassembly 13 for controlling selective discharge under pressure of thecontents of the container. The valve assembly comprises a stem 14vertically reciprocable within a body 15 suitably anchored rigidly tothe container as at 16. A spring 17 biases stem 14 upwardly to valveclosed position where the lateral passage 18 is closed by the resilientsealing seat annulus 19. Passage 18 intersects a longitudinal stempassage 20 that extends to an open end within the upper end of the stemwhich projects above the container. When stem 14 is pushed sufficientlydownwardly passage 18 moves below seat 19 to communicate with theinterior bore 21 of body 15 and allow the pressurized contents of thecontainer to discharge through bore 21 and passages 18 and 20. When stem14 is released, spring 17 recloses the valve to stop such discharge.

Heater assembly 11 comprises a plastic casing or shell 25 having a baseportion 26 integral or otherwise rigid therewith formed with adownwardly open bore 27 shaped to snugly fit upon the upper end of valvestem 14. Base 26 is formed with a through aperture 28 leading to bore 27in alignment with stem passage 20. A hollow outlet spout 29 isintegrally formed in the wall of shell 25. Bore 27 is preferablysufficiently deep that heater assembly 11 is wholly supported on stem 14but in such spaced relation to the container that downward pressure onheater assembly 11 will displace stem 14 to open valve 13.

Within shell 25 a smaller metal casing or shell 31 is suitably rigidlymounted on base 26, and a space 32 is provided between the shells 25 and31.

Space 32 contains a heating coil 33 of electrical resistance wire andotherwise is filled with a mass 34 of heat and electrical insulationmaterial such as asbestos fiber. Coil 33 is fixedly mounted insurrounding relation to shell 31 by suitable means that prevent shortcircuiting but which insure that the adjacent wall of shell is uniformlyheated when the coil is energized.

A passage defining thin-walled metal tube 35 has one end fixed inaperture 28 so as to provide an effective continuation of stem passage20 and its other end projects through a suitable aperture 36 in shell 31to extend into the open inner end of spout 29.

The opposed ends of tube 35 are sealed fluidtight to shell 31 where theypass through the shell walls, and a suitable heat absorbing and storingmedium 37 is enclosed within shell 31 in contact with the heated wall ofshell 31 and surrounding the wall of tube 35. This medium is preferablyhermetically sealed within shell 31.

Coil 33 is energized by having its opposite terminals 38 and 39connected by wires 41 and 42 to a plug 43 having prongs 44 and 45insertable in the usual terminal openings 46 and 47 of a conventionalelectrical wall outlet 48. It will be observed that wires 41 and 42extend through only a very short length of insulated flexible cord 49between the heater assembly 11 and the plug, and usually this length isin the order of l to 3 inches.

The provision of such a short cord length 49 insures that, after plug 43has been attached to outlet 48 and the energized coil 33 has adequatelyheated the medium within shell 31, the plug 43 must be removed from theelectrically live outlet to enable the user to conveniently operate theassembly to obtain warm shave cream at spout 29 while he is shaving.When the heater unit 11 is depressed, this depresses valve stem 14 todischarge shaving cream through the valve stem and then through theheating passage provided by tube 35.

The heat storage medium at 37 may be any suitable heat absorbing andretaining material, such as water, alcohol, powdered metal or the like.

It is necessary that the heat be stored for only a few minutes so thatwarm shaving cream is available during a single shave. The thin walloftube 35 provides speedy transfer of heat to the flowing shaving cream.The insulation at 32 prevents heat loss by confining the heat outputofcoil 33 to shell 31 and also protects the user against burning hishand. Thus essentially the entire heat output of coil 33 is used andthis raises the temperature of medium 37 and tube 35 appreciably veryquickly.

The short cord 49 is not only a safety feature that insures that allelectrical contact is broken at the time the shaving cream is beingdispensed during actual shaving, but it also provides a less expensiveassembly in that no electrical switch is needed to disconnect theelectrical source during use as a safety measure.

FIG. 2 shows another embodiment wherein the prongs 44 and 45 are fixeddirectly in the insulated wall of shell 25 and wires 41 and 42 aredirectly connected to the inner ends of the prongs.

The invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departingfrom the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. The presentembodiments are therefore to be considered in all respects asillustrative and not restrictive, the scope of the invention beingindicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoingdescription, and all changes which come within the meaning and range ofequivalency of the claims are therefore intended to be embraced therein.

l. A device for heating fluent material such as shaving cream duringdispensing from an aerosol or like portable pressurized container havinga projecting depressible hollow valve stem through which said materialis discharged when the stem is depressed comprising a casing of heat andelectrical insulation material having an apertured base in its lowerend, said base being provided with a downwardly open bore adapted to fitupon said stem so as to support said device substantially wholly on saidstem but permitting such relative movement between the device andcontainer as may be required to depress the stem, means defining a flowpassage through said device extending from said apertured base to alateral outlet, said passage having a highly heat conductive wall, meansWhat is claimed and desired to be secured by Letters Patent defining aconfined body of heat storage material sealed within said casing insurrounding relation to said passage wall and entirely enclosed by saidinsulation material, electrical resistance heating means within saidcasing surrounding said body. and conductor means connected to saidresistance means and extending externally of the casing to provide afitting adapted for detachable connection to an electrical outlet.

2. The device defined in claim 1, wherein said conductor means is sorelatively short externally of the device that after the passage hasbeen heated the conductor means must be detached from the outlet forconvenient use of the assembled container and device in producing warmedshaving cream during shaving.

3. The device defined in claim 2, wherein said conductor means comprisesa short flexible cord extending from said device and terminating in apronged plug.

4. The device defined in claim 2, wherein said conductor means comprisesfixed prongs extending from said insulating casing.

5. The device defined in claim I, wherein said body of heat storagematerial is a liquid enclosed in a metal casing within said insulatingcasing, and said passage comprises a thinwalled metal tube extending amaterial distance through said liquid between said base and lateraloutlet.

6. A device for heating and dispensing fluent material as defined inclaim 5, wherein said electrical resistance means is imbedded in theinsulation material adjacent said metal casing, and the outer wall ofsaid insulation material is a plastic shell, said base being rigid-withsaid shell.

7. A device for heating and dispensing fluent material as defined inclaim 5, wherein saidelectrical resistance heating means is a coiladjacently surrounding said metal casing and distributed therealong forsubstantially uniform heating thereof.

1. A device for heating fluent material such as shaving cream duringdispensing from an aerosol or like portable pressurized container havinga projecting depressible hollow valve stem through which said materialis discharged when the stem is depressed comprising a casing of heat andelectrical insulation material having an apertured base in its lowerend, said base being provided with a downwardly open bore adapted to fitupon said stem so as to support said device substantially wholly on saidstem but permitting such relative movement between the device andcontainer as may be required to depress the stem, means defining a flowpassage through said device extending from said apertured base to alateral outlet, said passage having a highly heat conductive wall, meansdefining a confined body of heat storage material sealed within saidcasing in surrounding relation to said passage wall and entirelyenclosed by said insulation material, electrical resistance heatingmeans within said casing surrounding said body, and conductor meansconnected to said resistance means and extending externally of thecasing to provide a fitting adapted for detachable connection to anelectrical outlet.
 2. The device defined in claim 1, wherein saidconductor means is so relatively short externally of the device thatafter the passage has been heated the conductor means must be detachedfrom the outlet for convenient use of the assembled container and devicein producing warmed shaving cream during shaving.
 3. The device definedin claim 2, wherein said conductor means comprises a short flexible cordextending from said device and terminating in a pronged plug.
 4. Thedevice defined in claim 2, wherein said conductor means comprises fixedprongs extending from said insulating casing.
 5. The device defined inclaim 1, wherein said body of heat storage material is a liquid enclosedin a metal casing within said insulating casing, and said passagecomprises a thin-walled metal tube extending a material distance throughsaid liquid between said base and lateral outlet.
 6. A device forheating and dispensing fluent material as defined in claim 5, whereinsaid electrical resistance means is imbedded in the insulation materialadjacent said metal casing, and the outer wall of said insulationmaterial is a plastic shell, said base being rigid with said shell.
 7. Adevice for heating and dispensing fluent material as defined in claim 5,wherein said electrical resistance heating means is a coil adjacentlysurrounding said metal casing and distributed therealong forsubstantially uniform heating thereof.